World leaders gather in Azerbaijan's capital as COP29 climate summit begins

The 29th UN Climate Change Conference (COP29)’s World Leaders Summit kicked off in Azerbaijan's capital Baku.

Hosted by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, world leaders gathered for a family photo ahead of the summit, including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and First Lady Emine Erdogan were welcomed by Aliyev and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the venue, set up next to the Baku Olympic Stadium.

He stood between Aliyev and Pakistan's Sharif in the family photo, which was followed by the official commencement of the COP29 World Leaders' Climate Summit.